Two families are in mourning after a collision in Montgomery County in February that claimed the lives of Jenny Runnels and Lloyd Nelms.
Mrs. Runnels was driving her 10-year-old daughter in their Yukon on FM 2854 near Honea Egypt Road. Evidence shows that Mr. Nelms crossed the center stripe causing a head-on collision. He died at the scene. Mrs. Runnels was rushed to Conroe Regional Medical Facility, but died at the hospital. Callie Runnels, her daughter, was also critically injured at the scene and was rushed to Conroe Regional. She was later transferred by Life Flight to Texas Children’s Hospital and was last reported to be in critical condition.
Mrs. Runnels is survived by her husband Joseph, son Dalton, and her daughter Callie. She also leaves behind dozens of students at Lone Star Elementary School where she had been a teacher for the past three years. Many of those students showed up to a recent wake to say kind words, place roses on the side of the road where the accident occurred, and released 40-50 balloons to honor the memory of their beloved teacher.
It is unclear what caused Mr. Nelms to cross the center stripe and lose control of his vehicle as the accident is still under investigation. Friends stated that Mr. Nelms was rushing home to take his 2-year-old son Kai to the hospital with a high fever, but this has not been confirmed.
One potential cause of this accident is drowsy driving. According to the National Sleep Foundation, young adults are much more likely to drive while drowsy compared to any other age group. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that in 2013 alone, drowsy driving was responsible for 72,000 crashes, 44,000 injuries, and 800 deaths. More alarmingly, these numbers could be underestimated by as many as 6,000 fatal crashes each year.
If you or someone you know has been injured or killed in an automobile collision, please contact Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling 713-231-9360 or toll free at 713-222-7211 for a free consultation.